AMC Premieres First Episode of ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ Online

AMC today rolled out the first episode of its new drama “Halt and Catch Fire” in a two-week-long sneak preview on AMC.com, Tumblr, through video on demand and on TV Everywhere services from certain video providers.

The show, with a title based on an old computer command, is set in the early 1980s, when personal computing was in its infancy. Companies like IBM, Apple, Texas Instruments, Tandy and Commodore were battling for footholds in the new, dicey and seemingly uncertain world of consumer technology.

The first episode gives viewers the sense that “Halt and catch Fire” will give the 1980s the type of iconic-age treatment that another AMC show, “Mad Men” gave to the 1960s. All of the props seem to be there, from the home décor, cars and clothing to the music, video games, haircuts and generation gaps.

AMC said the preview, which runs through May 31, is the first television series premiere on Tumblr, and the first time the network has partnered with social media to premiere a new show.

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